Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

The week before school started, Lilly Katherine and I got busy cooking good treats for school.  We made Homemade Strawberry-Nectarine Fruit Roll-Ups (Fruit Leather) and Homemade Plum Jam.  We really had fun cooking together, and the kids were excited to start school with food they helped make.  My “Goin’ Granola-Granola Bars” are in the oven right now, for another homemade treat.

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups (Fruit Leather) Recipe

You Will Need:

About 8 Cups of FRUIT!  You choose the fruit (Lilly Kat chose Strawberries and Nectarines), Lemon, Applesauce, and Sugar (If needed)

Wash and cut the fruit to a manageable size.  No need to dice.  It’s really nice if you have 2 extra little hands to help you.

My food processor isn’t huge, so I had to puree my fruit in 2 batches.  I pureed 4 cups of fruit at a time, and added applesauce and lemon to each batch.

4 Cups of Strawberries…

4 Cups of Nectarines…

3 wild maniacs…and a lot of lovely artwork on my fridge…that could use a little organizing.

I added about a tablespoon of sugar total (for 8 cups of fruit).  The only reason I added that Tbsp was because I was in the middle of dumping the sugar when I decided the fruit really did not need the additional sugar.  If your fruit is sweet, don’t add much.

Then add both batches to a large saucepan.

Stir to combine.  It doesn’t look to appetizing now, but it is!

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Skim foam from the top with the back of a metal spoon.

As my My Sicilian Great-Grandmother would say about her spaghetti sauce, 

“Itsa gonna blub, blub, blubba.”

Reduce heat to medium-low and let your fruit mixture, gently “blub, blub, blubba” for about 35-45 minutes, stirring often.  Beware that even boiling it gently, the “blubs” will splash.  I used my splash guard, which helped a TON with the mess.

You’ll know it’s ready when you can run a spatula across the bottom of the pan and the mixture stays separated until your spatula reaches the other side of the pan. (My fruit might not have been exactly to that point because I might have been running late to a doctor’s appointment, and I might have had to put it in the oven about 5 minutes prematurely.)

**This is where I got the Fruit Leather recipe.  I LOVE this blog…I don’t know her, but I’m sure we would be BFFs if I did. :)  She has a few different pics of the process, and her pics are beautiful.

Next, pour your fruit mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

I wanted our Fruit to be similar to the thickness of Fruit Roll-ups instead of Fruit Leather.  Roll-Ups are a little thinner, and I thought they might last a little longer around here. :)

So, this is where I deviate from most recipes.  Most tell you to pour the whole mixture on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  I divided the mixture in half and filled 2 cookie sheets.  If you have a jelly roll pan, that pan alone would work great.  I don’t have one…so I used 2 cookie sheets and it worked beautifully.

Actually these pictures are quite unappetizing, but you get the idea.

Turn your oven on the lowest setting.  145° if possible.  Many ovens start at 170°, but the lowest setting on my fancy, circa 1988 oven is WARM (there’s no temperature).  I placed both cookie sheets in one oven and just rotated them every hour or so.  Cook about 8 hours or longer if needed.  Cook until they are leathery and not soft and squishy in the middle.

Let them cool and cut into strips completely.  Roll individually and place them in an air tight container or Zip-Lock.  I apologize that these pictures are so u-g-l-y this time.  My Fruit Roll-Ups were not the prettiest color and I was in a huge hurry, so this is what you get this time.

*They are much better and easier to eat the second day.  They are a little tough straight out of the oven…or at least mine were. :)  But they soften in the bag and they were SO good the next day…and the next…and the next.

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups (Leather) Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 Cups of fruit of your choice  (We chose 4 Cups Strawberries, 4 Cups Nectarines)
• 2 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce
• Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
• 1/4 Cup Sugar (if needed)

Wash and cut the fruit into manageable pieces.  No need to dice.  If you have a 10-Cup food process or, you can puree all ingredients together.  If not, you will have to do 2 batches and then combine them.  Put the fruit, applesauce, lemon, and sugar (if needed) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Pour into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium-low and skim foam from the top of fruit with the back of a metal spoon.  Stirring often, let the fruit gently boil (blub) for 35-45 minutes or until you can run a spatula across the bottom of the pan and the mixture stays separated until your spatula reaches the other side of the pan.  Pour mixture on 2 parchment lined cookie sheets and spread evenly.  Place them in the oven and turn on the lowest temp setting (145°, 170°, or WARM…whatever you’ve got on your oven.)  If you place them both in the same oven, rotate them every hour or so, for about 8 hours.  Cook until the outside is leathery and the middle is not soft and squishy to the touch.  Let it cool and cut into strips.  Roll individually and place in air tight container.

I did not refrigerate my Fruit Roll-Ups, but they only lasted 4 days, so there was no need to. We ALL loved this recipe!

Thank you, Darby at Fly Through Our Window!  She has made a great printable PDF here.  Enjoy her blog and her sweet, funny inspiration.  Enjoy your Fruit Roll-Ups, too!

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